Quilting and Canning

 The hexie quilt is coming along.

 Each day last week I spent a little time in the evenings sewing.

 Progress is being made one hexie at a time.

 It takes 56 hexies for each quilt block. 5 and 3/4 are finished. That's 336 hexies, only 1,800 more to go

I gathered the tomato's from around the kitchen this afternoon to start canning. A very late start I am sorry to say.

I am pretty happy with the progress of the "Grandmothers Flower Garden" quilt so far. I knew going into this deal it was going to be a possible year long endeavor, I was right!! Ha I almost have enough finished for the first column, go me!!

I got a VERY late start on canning today too many errands this morning and a good long much needed phone call with a dear old friend. Jackie please have Dave retire and move next door to us!!!!!

So being that it was late when I started and I am not really in the mood to can tomato's I decided to make tomato juice instead using the juice steamer. I knew I wasn't comfortable with the instructions suggested so I was going to modify them with a safer process. I did not however expect the juice to come out so thin and pale :( When I say pale I do mean pale as in the color of urine. Not too appetizing to look at but it did taste like tomato juice.

I have to admit I really like store bought canned tomato juice to drink, (yum) and use it for lots of different soups and stews. The thickness of the store bought and richness of its taste is "pure dee good" ( think Larry the cable guy accent when saying that). My Grandmother and Aunt always made tomato juice, it was all we knew and it was good. That is until I locked my lips around the store bought stuff. 

I am now moving on to plan "B"

Plan "B"     I have begun collecting the juice into stock pots instead of jars. I have one pot full the second is well on its way to being full. The juice is having more and more color to it as the tomato's break down. Once I have collected all of the juice into pots I will rewarm it then can using the blue ball canning book method. I am not sure how I will fix our dinner tonight, there is not a single burner on the stove open. I am fine with a bowl of cold cereal but hubby and DD#2 will be wanting a little more of a stick to your ribs kinda dinner. I am thinking a Father DD dinner date will be the key to finishing up the juicing for today.

I so wanted to knock out canning the cherries tonight so I can be done with one more to do, however I have no idea how many more hours the juice will be going or how many jars I will need to process :(  So much for a quick fix with tomato's